A method of testing computer software. A test computer has a base configuration, which is imaged to a removable hard drive. The base configuration is then stored in data storage of a master computer, as a master configuration image. The software is then tested on the test computer, and after the testing, a portable boot drive is used to acquire the master image and to restore the base configuration to the test computer.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of restoring a test computer to a base configuration, comprising the steps of: storing data representing the base configuration of the test computer on a test computer portable boot drive; creating a master image of the base configuration by copying an image of the test computer portable boot drive to storage of a master image computer; testing a computer software on the test computer, using the base configuration on the test computer portable boot drive; copying the master image of the base configuration onto a master image portable boot drive; transferring the master image portable boot drive to the test computer; and booting the test computer from the master image portable boot drive, thereby restoring the test computer to the base configuration.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test computer portable boot drive and the master image portable boot drive are the same.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating step includes transfering the test computer portable boot drive from the test to the master image computer.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating step is performed by communicating the image of the test computer portable boot drive over a network from the test computer to the master image computer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the testing step comprises installing new software onto the test computer.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of repeating the testing, transferring, and booting steps.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein copying the master image is performed prior to or during the testing step.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein copying the master image is repeated for a batch of portable boot drives.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the testing step is performed by using software already part of the base configuration.
10. A method of configuring a test computer with a selected base configuration, comprising the steps of: storing data representing a plurality of base configurations of the test computer on test computer portable boot drives; creating a master image of each base configuration by copying an image of each test computer portable boot drive to storage of a master image computer; testing a computer software on the test computer, using one of the base configurations on one of the test computer portable boot drives; selecting a base configuration for subsequent software testing on the test computer; copying a master image of the selected base configuration onto a master image portable boot drive; transferring the master image portable boot drive from the master image computer to the test computer; and booting the test computer from the master image portable boot drive, thereby configuring the test computer with the selected base configuration.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each base configuration represents a configuration for a different operating system of the test computer.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the master image portable boot drive is one of the test computer portable boot drives.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the creating step includes transferring one of the test computer portable boot drives from the test computer to the master image computer.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the creating step is performed by communicating the image of at least one of the test computer portable boot drives over a network from the test computer to the master image computer.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the testing step comprises installing new software onto the test computer.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of repeating the testing, transferring, and booting steps.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein copying the master image is performed prior to or during the testing step.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the testing step is performed by using software already part of the base configuration.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 5, 2003
September 18, 2007
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